iOS 7 Released!

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

How are you guys enjoying it? I swear my device spent hours trying to download and get activated... Now that it's over with, whew....

According to Mixpanel, the 13% adoption rate of iOS 7 already surpasses Android 4.2 and 4.3 combined.

 

[mavere]

iOS 6 took ~8 days to get to 50% traffic share. Due to this being a higher profile release and the numbers shown so far, I'm hoping that iOS 7 can do the same by the end of the weekend. Developers can never have enough encouragement to update their apps.

I don't want any 32-bit binaries when I get my 5S.

 

[trmiv]

installed on my ipad4. So far my reaction is: "meh"

 

[Lyfer]

My phone feels like I'm running windows 8. My wife refuses to update her iPhone and iPad.

 

[jpeyton]

Just an FYI to anyone updating. I just completed updating an iPad 4 and iPhone 5.

If you want the cleanest possible update: backup your device to iTunes, do a clean factory restore of iOS 7, then restore your apps/settings/content using your iTunes backup.

Also, if you're updating a cellular device, keep in mind that Apple's activation servers are getting hammered right now. It took about 10 minutes of "retrying" before I could get the iPhone 5 up and running.

Is the update worth it? Absolutely. iOS 6 feels like a stone-aged operating system by comparison.

It's interesting that Apple has (once again) reversed its stance on an Android feature, choosing to adopt it: live wallpapers.

 

[Crono]

The iOS 6 to iOS 7 transition reminds me of the move from Windows XP to Vista. Not in terms of the problems, but the big UI changes, 64-bit support on the iPhone 5s, and the mixed feelings people have about it generally.

Even live wallpapers isn't an Android-first feature, it was introduced (maybe not first, but it was the biggest OS release with it) with DreamScene on Vista.

 

[dguy6789]

I'm seeing pretty overwhelming negative reception across the board for iOS 7

 

[jpeyton]

I'm seeing pretty overwhelming negative reception across the board for iOS 7

iOS 7 isn't bad. Just dealing with iTunes was enough to remind me why I'll never buy an Apple product for personal use, ever. What a complete piece of sh1t. The simple act of putting one eBook onto an iPad turned into a 15 minute affair, something which I can drag and drop onto my Nexus 7 in about 10 seconds.

Not to mention, before it was over, iTunes managed to sync a ton of apps that I never wanted on the iPad in the first place. If iTunes was a physical being, it would be lying on the floor with a steak knife in its chest right now.

 

[Eug]

I'm seeing pretty overwhelming negative reception across the board for iOS 7

iOS 7 is awesome x infinity.

The iOS 6 to iOS 7 transition reminds me of the move from Windows XP to Vista. Not in terms of the problems, but the big UI changes, 64-bit support on the iPhone 5s, and the mixed feelings people have about it generally.

Even live wallpapers isn't an Android-first feature, it was introduced (maybe not first, but it was the biggest OS release with it) with DreamScene on Vista.

Nah, more like Win XP to Windows 7. I'll just ignore Vista for now.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I think I'll be sticking with iOS 5 on my 4s for now.

 

[badb0y]

I am enjoying the update. I finally have toggles everywhere, that was my biggest gripe with iOS. iTunes Radio seems to have obsoleted Pandora for me. I was always into the minimalistic design so this was perfect for me but I can see how others wouldn't like it.

 

[Eug]

I think I'll be sticking with iOS 5 on my 4s for now.

What? Some 3rd party apps won't even run on iOS 5 these days.

 

[jacktesterson]

iOS 7 isn't bad. Just dealing with iTunes was enough to remind me why I'll never buy an Apple product for personal use, ever. What a complete piece of sh1t. The simple act of putting one eBook onto an iPad turned into a 15 minute affair, something which I can drag and drop onto my Nexus 7 in about 10 seconds.

Not to mention, before it was over, iTunes managed to sync a ton of apps that I never wanted on the iPad in the first place. If iTunes was a physical being, it would be lying on the floor with a steak knife in its chest right now.

Couldn't agree more. iTunes and forcing me to use it for such silly tasks is a huge reason I use Android and love it.

That being said, iOS has it's place for sure.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I have iOS 7 on my iPad 4 and iPhone 4S. So far really like the update.

What I like the most so far are the new quick controls from swiping up and the better looking notifications. The look of the UI overall is mostly a move in the right direction.

What I dislike the most so far are the animations. They seem to be too slow. I wish they were sped up or I could disable the animations. Going back to home and watching the icons swoosh back to the screen just makes the phone feel slower.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I'm mostly OK with the changes, but I'm not really sure that usability has improved across the board. One of the major things you'll notice is that there is a distinct lack of visual cues in the OS now that will often leave you guessing as to what to do. Obviously advanced tech users will figure it out, but I wonder if my parents would have the same patience.

You're not going to see major innovation here that doesn't exist on other mobile platforms. This is mostly Apple attempting to keep up with the times and fight back against criticism that it has gotten stale.

This is probably the first revision of iOS that doesn't distinctly feel Apple to me. This feels like something else to be honest, some kind of hybrid between Google/WP/iOS. There is an idea here, but it's lacking in unification across the board and cohesiveness that iOS has been known for.

 

[pm]

I updated my iPhone 5 - it took me 4 tries, since the server kept dropping out.

Overall, my feelings are mixed. I like the "control center" (ie. the Android-like panel get to things like the flashlight and turn wifi on/off). I like the look of the notification screen - but I liked the look of updated Yahoo weather app and it's the same sort of look. But I really dislike the icon colors. They seem garish and overtly colorful and I feel like my eyes hurt looking at them.... which is like my response to the iPhone 5C phone color choices as well. The dynamic wallpaper seems silly - I like the sort of parallax wallpaper on Android 4.0 and above, but this "move the phone moves the wallpaper" seems like something I'd have thought was cool when I was 12. I love the changes to Find iPhone and the increased sense of security around lost phones - they are a welcome improvement, and arguably something that iOS does a bit better than Android.

I like iTunes Radio - although it's basically Pandora. I think the new instagram-like phone filters are idiotic.. it seems bizarre to turn a high resolution modern camera in to a black and white camera from 100+ years ago, or an old Polaroid camera from 40 years ago. And I notice that I still can't delete - nor shove into a folder - that stupid Newsstand icon that I never use. Does Apple actually read user feedback?

Overall, I'm not thrilled, but appreciate the improved notification and control panels and I'll probably get used to the new OS over time. I have to say that in general, from the iPhone 5 onwards, I'm feeling like what I want and what Apple is actually doing are disconnected. The style of the iPhone 5C with it's bright colors, the iPhone 5S with "gold" as a color, and now the new icons in iOS7... they seem to be aiming to appeal to a group of people who aren't me. I'm more "old", "pedestrian" and "boring" and I'm sort of the anti-hipster and iOS7's style seems to be targeted at those guys who ride neon green single-speed bicycles with messenger bags over their shoulders.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I think the 4S will probably be my last iPhone for some time. Having seen iOS7, I'm reluctant to move to the 5S now.

I will probably give WP8.1 a try and see what MSFT/Nokia have to offer.

 

[zerogear]

I'm saying no to pastel puke.

 

[Eug]

I have iOS 7 on my iPad 4 and iPhone 4S. So far really like the update.

What I like the most so far are the new quick controls from swiping up and the better looking notifications. The look of the UI overall is mostly a move in the right direction.

What I dislike the most so far are the animations. They seem to be too slow. I wish they were sped up or I could disable the animations. Going back to home and watching the icons swoosh back to the screen just makes the phone feel slower.

Look for the "Reduce Motion" setting in the General -> accessibility pane.

 

[Crono]

I'm mostly OK with the changes, but I'm not really sure that usability has improved across the board. One of the major things you'll notice is that there is a distinct lack of visual cues in the OS now that will often leave you guessing as to what to do. Obviously advanced tech users will figure it out, but I wonder if my parents would have the same patience.

You're not going to see major innovation here that doesn't exist on other mobile platforms. This is mostly Apple attempting to keep up with the times and fight back against criticism that it has gotten stale.

This is probably the first revision of iOS that doesn't distinctly feel Apple to me. This feels like something else to be honest, some kind of hybrid between Google/WP/iOS. There is an idea here, but it's lacking in unification across the board and cohesiveness that iOS has been known for.

I can sum it up for you it a sentence: Apple is following, not leading.

I'm not condemning them for it since at least they are listening to users and critics who say they are falling behind in certain areas, but it's also the first time it's so visible that they are being influenced by other what other companies have done.

I like that they have committed to flatter design, but it needs some tweaks.

 

[chin311]

Look for the "Reduce Motion" setting in the General -> accessibility pane.

I did that and then also turned on bold font & increase contrast and I think improves the readability and etc !

 

[pm]

Look for the "Reduce Motion" setting in the General -> accessibility pane.

Thanks for that suggestion.

 

[mavere]

What? Some 3rd party apps won't even run on iOS 5 these days.

Between the fact that Apple now automatically gives users old outdated binaries when needed and how drastic of a change iOS 7 is, I think there'll be more "clean breaks" than usual, even from places where you'd least expect it.

NBC, NYTimes, American Airlines, Huffington Post, Starwood Hotels, Travelocity are now all iOS 7+ for the latest version, which is rather amusing because I wouldn't expect any of them to be on the forefront of software.

 

[deathBOB]

Safari is quite a bit better. I really like the backward/forward swiping. They screwed up the way albums are displayed in the music app and I can't say I care for the calendar. Overall I like the style, but it needs some polish.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Look for the "Reduce Motion" setting in the General -> accessibility pane.

Hmm.. I turned it on and don't see a difference. Still get annoyingly animations and see no change in speed. What is this suppose to do?